Jim Nowak

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. ~ Edgar Degas

I started my journey in art as a black and white photographer in high school and was the photo editor of my yearbook developing my work in the basement of our house. I attended a course taught by Minor White my freshman year in college. Minor White, an American photographer and educator, focused on how people viewed and understood photographs with a personal vision that was guided by a variety of spiritual and intellectual philosophies. I traveled throughout Europe during the following summer, came back to Yale and decided to major in Art, specifically painting. At that time, Yale Art School was under the influence of Josef Albers, known for his color theory. Albers believed that color is constantly changing and color is seen in relation to the colors it is surrounded by. I was accepted my final college summer, at the Yale School of Music and Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. Students from all over the world spent the summer focused on expanding their skills in painting, printmaking and photographing.

All these experiences helped to determine my love of color. In my work, I hope, that when the light reflects on surface of the canvas the colors and shapes create for you a feeling of joy. I want the colors to reach out and embrace the viewer.

The unbelievable clouds in the Florida sky have inspired the 2016 painting series. I want the paintings to speak for themselves, and each one makes a color statement on their own.